The Righteous Youths
by Emily Dovahkiin
Summary: In this teen!AU Supernatural story demons are after 17-year-old Dean Winchester and are tearing him apart bit by bit at his high school. He meets a cute nerdy kid named Cas when this is set in motion. Is this a coincidence or will Cas be the one to ultimately save Dean from his demons? side note: i do not own supernatural or the CW
1. Meeting

The alarm clock rang as its display showed it was six o'clock in the morning. Another day had just begun for seventeen-year-old Dean Winchester. He got out of bed, pulled off his t-shirt and boxers, and made his way to the shower.

Slowly, he started waking up more and more as the hot water sprayed over him. He lathered on Old Spice and scrubbed every inch of his body. He liked being fresh and clean, which was an interesting contrast from his favorite hobby: demon hunting.

His father John first got into it after one killed his mother, Mary, when he was about four. This hobby required John to pull Dean out of school a lot to care for his little brother, Sam, who was too young for school at that point.

The school soon took notice of all those absences, and one thing lead to another, causing John to lose custody of Dean and Sam when Dean was about eight. Dean and Sam were then adopted by John's friend Bobby Singer.

Bobby was also a demon hunter, but Bobby made sure that someone would watch the boys as he went off to hunt. Bobby let Dean help him hunt when he was about thirteen, which got him hooked. He could see why his father was obsessed with the whole idea of hunting.

One thing he didn't like about hunting demons was the amount of blood that was involved. Dean would literally sprint from the car and into the shower to remove the demon blood from himself. He preferred to smell like Old Spice, not rotting demon blood.

Once Dean was sure he was properly clean, he turned off the hot water and toweled off. He put some cream on his face and shaved off the stubble. After that he sprayed himself with rich cologne, and combed a bit of gel into his hair. When he was done, he went into his closet to find his outfit for the day.

He pulled on some boxers and black jeans, and laced up his black Doc Martens. He pulled on a gray t-shirt and buttoned his grey and black plaid flannel over it. He donned his black beanie and put on his thick black glasses, as he decided that his eyes were too tired for contacts.

He thumped downstairs and noticed it was already six-thirty. He got the coffee machine going and put some bread in the toaster and sprinted back upstairs. It was time to wake his brother, Sam.

He knocked on the door to his brother's room. No response came, so Dean decided to enter his room.

He called, "Rise and shine, Sammy!"

All he heard as a response was a loud moan from under a pile of pillows.

Dean knelt by Sam's bed and said, "Sam, it's time to get up."

Sam sat up looking like a nightmare. His long brown hair was a stringy mess and he had large bags under his eyes.

In a congested voice, Sam said, "Dean, I'm not feeling that great."

Dean felt his forehead, which was pretty warm. Dean decided to let Sam stay home for the day.

Dean exclaimed, "Sammy, you're burning up! I'll go get some medicine for you. You can stay home for today, and I'll collect your homework."

He went downstairs and grabbed some cold medicine that had fever reducer in it. He gave the pills to Sam and handed him some water.

Dean said, "I'm gonna go to school now. If you need anything, call me and I'll sneak out and come help you."

Sam nodded, took his medicine, and flopped back into bed. Dean turned out the lights, covered him in blankets, and shut the door.

He raced downstairs and noticed it was already seven fifteen in the morning. He put his coffee in a to-go mug, and practically inhaled his toast. He jumped in his impala and sped off to school.

Lawrence High School was a typical small-town high school. Everybody knew everybody pretty much since preschool and if someone new came along, they probably would not fit in.

He parked, walked into the school, and found his best friends Jo Harvelle and Charlie Bradbury.

"Hey ladies, how goes it?" asked Dean.

"Oh you know, trying not to stab anybody," retorted Jo.

Charlie didn't say anything, she just hugged Dean. Dean was like the older brother she never had.

The three chatted for a while until they heard shouting. They turned around to see a smaller nerdy looking guy in a corner with one of the school assholes up against him.

"Hey new kid! Get out of my school and go be gay somewhere else!" shouted Raphael, the douchebag captain of the high school football team.

The other kid did not respond.

"Are you deaf too?!" called Raphael.

"W-well, I-" squeaked the new kid as Raphael grabbed his shirt and picked him up.

"I didn't SAY you could TALK!" growled Raphael. He raised his fist to punch the new kid and was about to swing when Dean stepped in.

"Hey Raphe! Put 'im down!" shouted Dean.

"Why do YOU care, Winchester?" asked Raphael.

"Just DO it and this will be over with!" commanded Dean.

Raphael dropped the new boy and got in his face. Dean was ready to fight back if Raphael tried to hit him.

Raphael growled, "You're lucky I even respect you, Winchester, otherwise your boyfriend here would be dead." He stormed down the hallway towards the locker room. Dean approached the cowering teenager in the corner.

"Hey kid, you ok?" asked Dean.

"You didn't have to do that for me," answered the new kid.

Dean pulled him up and said, "Friends don't let jerks hurt their friends."

Confused, the boy asked, "Friends?"

Dean extended his hand and stated, "I'm Dean Winchester, and I'm your friend."

The new kid shook his hand and responded, "I'm Castiel Novak, and friends are always welcome."

The warning bell for the start of the school day rang, so all the students at Lawrence High scrambled to go to their classes, except for Castiel, who looked confused.

"You lost, Cas?" asked Dean.

"Well, it IS my first day, Dean," retorted Cas.

"Right, right, where are you going?" laughed Dean.

Cas reached into his pocket. He removed a folded-up piece of paper from his pocket, unfolded it, and read the first thing on the schedule.

"I'm going to room 226 for AP Calculus," said Cas.

Dean replied, "Right. I'm going there myself, so just follow me."

The two raced up the stairs to the classroom and got to their seats seconds before the bell rang.

The teacher, Mr. Uriel Wisdom, entered the classroom and sneered at all of the students in his class.

He held up the stack of tests and asked, "Who's ready for this test on derivatives?"

The entire class groaned in response.

Mr. Wisdom grinned evilly and said, "I'm going to take that as a RESOUNDING yes!" He deftly licked his fingers and passed out papers.

He stopped when he got to Cas as he had run out of papers at that point.

He glared at him and asked, "You're my new student, aren't you?"

Cas replied in a weak voice, "Yes sir"

Mr. Wisdom said, "I will go get another copy of this exam, then."

Cas pleaded, "Please, sir, my old class didn't get to derivatives!"

Mr. Wisdom replied indifferently, "This isn't your old class. You will take the test or you will receive a zero on your report card."

Cas gulped and looked at his desk, replying, "I'll do my best then."

Mr. Wisdom cackled, "That's my boy!"

He turned to the class and announced, "I need to make copies. Nobody start the test lest you want to fail." He left the room and slammed the door.

Dean walked over to Cas and told him, "I'm going to help you."

He looked over at Jo and Charlie and they stood watch at the door. He then looked over the test and explained how to work the questions on the exam.

Charlie signaled that Mr. Wisdom was on his way back and Jo knew to leap into action and pretend to beat up Charlie.

She pulled Charlie to the floor, screaming, "You lying whore!" as she rolled on the floor with her.

"The hell is wrong with you?!" yelled Charlie as she struggled to get Jo off of her.

"You tried to take my boyfriend, bitch! What the hell is wrong with you?!" accused Jo in a shrill voice.

"For your information, your boyfriend was asking for the homework assignment, not my number!" retorted Charlie as she rolled on top of Jo.

"He knows to ask ME, not a two-bit slut like you!" snapped Jo.

"I have been his BEST FRIEND longer than you have been his girlfriend!" retorted Charlie.

This fake exchange of insults went on until Mr. Wisdom tried to enter the room. He gasped when he saw his two star students screaming and pulling each other's hair.

"I swear to god I will murder you myself with a calculator if you don't stop being a stupid little…" began Jo as Mr. Wisdom picked her up by the collar.

"You will do NO such thing, Miss Harvelle. Your mother is down the hall, and I suggest you march on down to her room lest I call in Mr. Crowley." growled Mr. Wisdom.

Jo raised her middle finger to Mr. Wisdom as she raced towards her mother's classroom. Defeated, Mr. Wisdom decided to let the class to work on the test together and finish the rest for homework.

The entire class cheered as they got into groups to work on the test. Dean and Charlie teamed up with Cas to help him pass the test. Charlie could not help but smirk as Dean practically stood over Cas as he attempted to answer the questions.

The bell rang, and the class returned the desks to their original positions. They then collected their things and filed out of the classroom.

Cas said to Dean, "Thank you so much for helping me."

Dean replied, "Don't worry about it, kid."

Cas stated, "Hopefully, from your examples, I can work out the rest of the questions."

Dean asked, "Why don't I give you my phone so you can put your number in it?"

Cas took the iPhone from him and entered his name and phone number and then he handed it back to Dean. He then handed Dean his phone so he could have his number.

Dean said, "I'll text you later on and see how you're doing." He turned to leave when Cas stopped him.

"Dean, I don't know where I'm going. Where is the Criminal Justice classroom?" asked a confused Cas.

"Follow me," beckoned Dean.

They entered the classroom and Dean waved hello to Deputy Jody Mills, the school's resource officer and Criminal Justice teacher.

She smiled, "I see you have a new little cohort, Mr. Winchester."

Dean put a hand on Cas's shoulder and said proudly, "Deputy Mills, this is Castiel Novak, and yes indeed he's my new partner in crime."

Deputy Mills pursed her lips and pointed the boys to their seats.

The rest of the day entailed Cas following Dean around the school as they had the same schedule.

Their final class of the day was Home Economics. The teacher, Mrs. Hannah Johnson, smiled as she saw the awkward boy follow Dean in the classroom.

"And what is your name, sir?" asked Mrs. Johnson.

"C-Castiel Novak," stuttered Cas.

Cheerfully, Mrs. Johnson said, "Well Castiel, you're just in time! I was just about to announce our next class project." She pointed Cas and Dean to two empty seats in the back.

Mrs. Johnson stood at the front of the class and announced, "It's time for the partner baby project! Please get into groups of two, one boy and one girl."

Without a second thought, everyone in the class found a partner of the opposite sex, leaving Cas and Dean sitting awkwardly in the back.

Mrs. Johnson looked around the room and saw that all the girls had partners. She thought for a moment and shrugged.

"I don't see why two men can't make a home. Why don't you two work together? That would make an interesting project!" suggested Mrs. Johnson.

Dean shrugged, "Why not?"

Happily, Mrs. Johnson handed the two their baby doll. The class looked over and snickered at the two.

Mrs. Johnson raised a hand and said, "Now class, there are perfectly happy families with two parents of the same sex."

One girl complained, "Mrs. Johnson, you're OK with that disgrace to society?! That's going to teach others that gay parenting is ok!"

Dean retorted, "You cheating on your boyfriend is a disgrace but nobody says a word about it." The comment silenced her.

Mrs. Johnson raised a hand again and continued explaining the assignment. When she was done, she let the "families" go about caring for their babies.

As Cas was rocking his baby, Dean laughed, "Does this make you the mom?"

Cas squinted at him and tilted his head, answering, "I am not a woman, Dean."

The final school bell rang, so Dean and Cas walked out of the building. Cas was still holding the baby and said goodbye to Dean.

Dean was walking back to his car when he felt someone following him. He turned around, ready to pummel whoever it was.

He then saw that it was Kevin Tran, Sam's best friend. Kevin looked up at Dean with wide brown eyes.

"Can I help you?" asked Dean.

"Sam asked me to give you the work he missed!" replied Kevin in a panicked voice. He handed Dean a heavy binder filled with papers and then ran off.

Dean stuffed the binder into his backpack and put it in the trunk of his car. He got in and turned on the engine. He put on his favorite classic rock station and put his foot on the gas pedal and sped off towards his house.

To his left, he saw a strange figure in a long coat shuffling down the street. He slowed down to see that it was Cas.

He pulled over and rolled down his window and called out, "CAS! Get in my car!"

Cas looked up and saw Dean calling to him. Cautiously, he approached the vehicle.

He said, "Dean, it's ok, I promise."

Dean shook his head, "Cas, what's a bit of distance on my car? This baby's been across the country."

Cas shrugged and got in. He pulled the baby out of his coat and pressed a button as it was crying.

Dean asked, "Where are we headed?"

Cas gave him the address and Dean started down the road again. They got to Cas's house and Cas invited Dean inside.

Dean's eyes went wide as he took in Cas's gorgeous house. Everything was clean and tidy, unlike Dean's messy house.

They went up to his room, which was as big and well-decorated as a bridal suite.

Cas asked, "Can we finish that test now? I got our baby to sleep."

Dean, still blown away by Cas's beautiful room, agreed. The two boys worked together to finish the long test. Dean wrote the work out for Cas to finish, and soon, Cas was giving answers to Dean.

They finished the exam and high fived. Cas's father, Chuck Novak, came in.

"Castiel? Are you home?" called Chuck.

"I'm in my room working on homework!" replied Cas.

Chuck came up the stairs and entered his room. He took one look at Dean and looked back over at his son.

"Looks like we have some company," remarked Chuck with one eyebrow raised.

Cas anxiously answered, "Y-yeah, Dad. He's helping me with Calculus, and he's my partner on a school project."

Chuck stuck his hand out and said, "Looks like a nice handsome young fellow. I'm Chuck, what's your name?"

Dean shook his hand and answered, "Dean Winchester."

Chuck smiled, "It's good to know that my boy is making friends on his first day. How would you like to have dinner with us, Dean?"

Dean shrugged, "Sure. It would be my pleasure."

Chuck smiled, turned on his heel, and made for the kitchen. He was very happy with his son's selection of friends. Dean surely looked like a good boy and would definitely help keep his son out of trouble.

He smiled, shrugged, and opened the fridge to see what he could make for such a lovely guest. He pulled out some steak and some vegetables and called his chef to make dinner.

He had his maid freshen up the dining room and set the table. If Dean was going to stay, Chuck was going to make every effort to make him feel welcome in his household.

He called the boys down for dinner and had his butler bring some wine and water out for the table.

Dean and Cas sat down across the table from each other, but next to Chuck. The chef brought out their meal and promptly exited the dining room.

"So Dean, tell me," asked Chuck, "What does your father do?"

"Oh, I don't live with my father," replied Dean.

Chuck responded, "Oh?"

Dean replied, "My mother was murdered when I was four, and the killer was never caught. He went insane after she died, so his friend Bobby adopted my little brother and I."

Chuck nodded, "What an interesting background, Dean. How did you meet Castiel?"

Dean looked over at Cas and replied, "He had the same schedule I did, so I helped him out."

3:33 a.m. showed on the clock when the baby doll started to cry. Cas got up to go press the "feed" button, but that didn't soothe the crying. He got the same result when he pressed the "rock" and the "positive attention" buttons.

He stood over the doll in its box and thought for a second. His teacher had mentioned that if no combination of the buttons worked, the "panic" button would shut off the doll until she could reset it. She then reassured that no student had ever needed to use that button.

He poked the "diaper change" button, but that did no good either. He kept trying different combinations of buttons until he gave up.

He pressed the "panic" to shut the doll up. Instead of it shutting down, it rolled out of the box and made a static sound like you would hear on a television without signal.

Cas panicked and called Dean.

Dean rolled over when he heard his phone ring. He got up and saw that Cas was calling him. He thought that it was strange, but he picked up anyway.

He answered in a sleepy voice, "Hello?"

Cas's panicked voice responded, "Dean! There's something wrong with our baby!"

Dean rolled his eyes and said, "Cas, if that's the issue, then press a button or something."

Cas responded, "It's not that; I tried all the possible combinations of buttons for the baby, yet nothing worked. I pressed the panic button hoping that it would stop, but now it's moving like it's possessed or something."

Puzzled, Dean said, "Possessed?"

Cas responded, "Yeah, like a demon is inside it."

Dean replied, "Hold on, Cas, I'll be right there."

He hung up and pulled on some sweats, some sneakers, and a large sweatshirt. He did not have time for contacts, so he put on his glasses. He was determined to save Cas from demons. No demon was going to kill someone he was close with.

He slipped downstairs and looked for his weapons. He grabbed a vial of holy water, a bible, a salt gun, and some black paint.

He stuffed the tools in his pockets and hopped in his car. He sped down the street and over the bridge to Cas's house.

Dean parked across the street and ran up under a window. He then texted Cas to tell him he was at the house.

Cas opened a window and whispered, "Dean! Over here!"

Dean ran behind the house until he found where Cas was calling him from.

Cas pointed at the ground and said, "Behind you is a ladder. Hurry!"

Dean grabbed the ladder and climbed into Cas's room.

He looked around and asked, "Where's the baby?"

Cas pulled the doll out of the little holding cell he made while waiting for Dean. He handed it to Dean as it made its strange sounds and wriggled uncontrollably.

Dean made the demon trap with the paint, which attracted the baby like a magnet. Dean muttered an incantation in Latin and sprinkled holy water on it.

It screamed and black smoke emitted from its mouth. From the cloud of smoke emerged a yellow-eyed demon.

It growled, "Winchester! It's been thirteen years!"

Dean snarled, "What do you mean?!"

The demon smiled, "Don't you recognize me? I am Azazel, the one who killed your mother!"

Dean snapped, "You're the one who drove my father insane and separated me from him for all these years?! What are you doing to Cas?"

Azazel chuckled, "I can't tell you until you it's too late, boy!"

Frustrated, Dean aimed at Azazel with his gun.

Azazel shook his head, "That's going to do you no good. I can just come back."

Dean fired six shots into his chest. The demon dissipated and Dean salted Cas's bedroom. He then handed the gun to Cas.

He looked into his eyes and said, "Cas, if anything comes in here and you can't reach me, fire this at them."

Without another word, Dean hopped out of the window. He was not about to get his best friend in trouble again. He sped off in the impala and back to his inviting bed.


	2. Hell's Plan

The night was cold as Fergus Crowley made his way through the forest behind his house. The frosted grass beneath his shoes crunched with every step he took.

He reached the clearing and drew a pentagram and some sigils. He summoned Azazel with an incantation.

"WHO ARE YOU TO SUMMON ME?" bellowed the yellow-eyed demon.

Crowley retorted, "Come on, Azazel. You were the one who asked to see me. What do you want?"

Azazel snarled, "I enlisted you to help me kill Dean Winchester, yet you have done nothing."

Crowley snapped, "I said that I work on my own terms. Do not tell a professional how to do their job!"

Azazel roared, "I WAS BANISHED BY THE FOOL AND HIS LITTLE FRIEND! YOU COULD HAVE STEPPED IN!"

Crowley shrugged, "Like I was supposed to know about that."

Azazel picked up a tree and threw it. He roared again.

Crowley mocked, "Aww, someone's having a temper tantrum. Is it someone's nap time?"

Azazel picked Crowley up by the shirt and screamed, "I WILL MAKE SURE YOUR SOUL HAS A NAP. A PERMANENT NAP. DO YOUR JOB AND HELP ME KILL DEAN WINCHESTER."

Azazel vanished after throwing Crowley to the ground. Crowley frowned, stood up, and walked back to his house angrily.

The next morning, he went to his office and started looking through Castiel Novak's file. He could have sworn he had heard of the name "Novak" before.

He looked at the file and his eyes froze on his father's name.

"Chuck Novak?" he asked himself.

He typed the name into the Google search bar and looked at images.

His eyes widened when he saw Chuck's face. This man was not just the filthy rich CEO everybody knew. This man was God himself.

He decided to roam the halls for a while to ponder why Chuck and his family were here in Lawrence.

He stopped upon the Calculus class and saw Dean Winchester with Castiel Novak. It all made sense to him now. Castiel was not just some innocent best friend. Chuck had sent him to protect the righteous boy.

He kept wandering through the halls and thought on this. Chuck must have known that Azazel was still out there and then decided to protect Dean from him.

Azazel decided to act after thirteen years of dormancy for this moment. This was not just about Dean. It was an act against God himself.

He made his way back to his office to plan his next move. Up until this moment, Crowley brushed off this mission as some silly vengeance quest, but now this interested Crowley even more.

Slyly, he sketched a pentagram on a notepad, summoning demon after demon. He turned off the power to everything in the school.

In the darkness, he commanded every demon to possess everyone in the school except for Dean Winchester and Castiel Nowak.

The demons dissipated and got to almost everyone in Lawrence High. Crowley turned the lights back on and continued about the day.

The last class period of the day was about to start. Cas and Dean arrived in the Home Economics classroom first to talk to Mrs. Johnson about last night's events.

Mrs. Johnson smiled as Cas and Dean entered the room. Cas nodded at Dean and stopped over at Mrs. Johnson's desk.

He took a deep breath and said, "Mrs. Johnson, I need to tell you about my doll project. Something happened last night and it set on fire."

Mrs. Johnson whispered to Cas, "Please come out in the hall with me when things quiet down."

She called out attendance and gave the class book work. Once everybody seemed to be working, she motioned for Cas to go into the hall with her.

"Now, about that doll. What happened?" asked Mrs. Johnson.

Cas explained calmly, "It wouldn't stop crying, no matter how many different buttons I pressed. I ended up pressing the panic button and it started speaking in tongues like it was possessed."

Thoughtfully, Mrs. Johnson responded, "Alright, but how did it set on fire?"

Cas swallowed and continued, "I screamed and called my partner Dean. He freaked out when I said possessed so he exorcised it. A yellow-eyed creature came from the doll and then it exploded in flames."

Mrs. Johnson asked, "Was the creature a demon?"

Cas nodded and Mrs. Johnson's eyes went wide.

She exclaimed, "Chuck was right!"

Confused, Cas squinted and tilted his head.

Mrs. Johnson hugged Cas and explained, "Your father was aware of something bad going on here, so he had me keep an eye on you. I'm going to call your father when class is over."

The two walked back into the classroom and Cas finished the rest of the bookwork that Dean had started for him.

Dean asked, "What was that all about?"

Cas replied, "Something serious is going on, but no-one's telling us."

Soon enough, the bell rang. Cas followed close behind Dean as he went to go find Sam.

Sam smirked when his brother and Cas found him. He couldn't help but notice how clingy Dean's new "friend" was with him.

The three sped off towards Cas's place in the impala as classic rock filled the silence between the three boys.

Dean pulled up to Cas's house and said, "Until tomorrow, Cas."

Cas smiled shyly at Dean and entered the house.

Sam looked over at Dean and smiled, raising his eyebrows a little bit.

Dean glared at Sam and, through gritted teeth, insisted, "For the last time, Sammy, there is nothing but pure friendship between Cas and I."

Cas entered his house and called out to tell his father that he was home.

Chuck came downstairs and hugged his son firmly.

He said, "Hannah called me today while you were at school. Why didn't you tell me that a demon was in your room?"

Cas explained, "Because Dean handled it and banished him from my room."

Chuck scolded, "What if Dean didn't come in time? You'd have been burned on the ceiling and Hell would have laughed at Almighty God, who can't protect his own son."

Cas asked, "What are you talking about?"

Chuck gasped, "I've said too much. Go to your room."

Cas shrugged and headed upstairs.

Chuck hurried to his own room and made a phone call.

A gruff voice answered, "Chuck, darling, is that you?"

Angrily, Chuck responded, "Crowley, this is not a time for games. What the hell is going on?"

Crowley giggled, "I can't tell you, it would spoil the game!"

"WHAT GAME?!" demanded Chuck.

Crowley answered, "The game where you lose and I win."

Chuck hung up the phone and growled. The very thing that he had been dreading was underway.

He should have known that his son was going to have an immediate affinity for that Winchester boy.

Castiel's destiny sealed itself when he brought Dean home yesterday. The ultimate battle between heaven and hell was on its way and Castiel was a pawn. The worst part? Chuck had to stand back and watch it all happen.

He knew how this war would end. He could not stop the war from happening just as he could not stop Eve from eating the forbidden fruit. He just hoped that Castiel knew what to do when the time came.


	3. Discovery

Crowley smirked as he collected the blood from the stranger he had his henchmen murder in the alley.

He cackled, "One Castiel coming up!" as the men painted a symbol on the ground. Castiel appeared in seconds and panicked when he could not move from the spot he was in.

"Oh I get it! Dearest Chuck never told you that you were an angel!" laughed Crowley upon the sight of the panicking boy.

Castiel pleaded, "Anything you want, and I'll give it to you! Let me go!"

Crowley smiled, "Oh, there's nothing I need from you, my dear boy. Not unless you happen to carry a Dean Winchester in your pocket."

Castiel snarled, "Whatever you intend to do to Dean, do it to me!"

Crowley shrugged, "I could, but I need you alive. At least, until Dean comes around."

Crowley faced a terrified Castiel and smiled, "Now, you're going to help your old pal Fergus Crowley with something, and if you don't follow my exact commands, your boyfriend is going to be in a world of hurt."

Dean kicked back and put his feet on his desk. Three chapters of criminal justice later, he was finally done with his assignments for the night. He sighed and closed his eyes, until he felt his phone vibrate.

"Yeah," answered Dean indifferently.

"Hello Dean," replied Cas.

"What is it this time, Cas? The heater clanking again?" asked a slightly irritated Dean.

"I need assistance with – Calculus?" answered Cas.

"Dude, the test was yesterday, you got a 100 on it, remember?" responded Dean.

"Dean, I seriously need help!" shouted a panicked Cas right before the line went dead.

"Cas? CAS!" shouted Dean.

Back in the alley, Crowley threw Cas's phone to the ground.

"Castiel, you had one job. Now Uncle Fergus has to get his hands messy." He snapped his fingers, and they appeared in Dean's room.

"Mr. Crowley, I don't know what the HELL you're doing but you leave him ALONE!" snarled Dean.

"Not likely, love. I need both of you for something only God can know!" retorted Crowley.

He placed a knife in Castiel's hands. He looked over at his henchmen and both of them pulled out their guns.

Crowley gently whispered, "Cas, your job is very simple. Kill the boy, or I will kill you."

Cas froze. There was simply no way he could kill Dean. He gulped as he prepared to do what he knew was best.

He slowly walked up to Dean and looked him dead in the eyes.

He muttered timidly, "Goodbye, Dean."

Defeated, Dean looked at him and said, "I'd rather die a hundred times over than have you die. Do what you must." He closed his eyes and accepted his fate.

Cas raised the blade in the air. He swung it down hard and fast, stabbing himself deep in the stomach.

Chuck was attending to business in heaven when he sensed something wrong on earth. His first thought was Castiel.

He sensed his location and fled to earth immediately, just in time to witness his youngest son stabbing himself.

He rushed to the side of the crumpled form of his son, banishing Crowley and his demons from the scene.

He held one of Cas's hands and closed his eyes, tears streaming down his cheeks.

In the meantime, hot tears streamed down Dean's face. Was this the end of his friend?

He joined Chuck on the floor, gazing upon the face of his friend. He decided to follow suit and took Cas's other hand.

Slowly, Cas opened his eyes. Chuck wept even harder with joy.

"My boy! I thought you were gone forever!" exclaimed Chuck.

Cas sat up and asked, "What happened?"

Chuck replied, "I should have told you the truth. I lied to protect you from the dangers of the truth you now know. You are an angel of the lord."

Cas asked, "Is that why I recovered from the stabbing?" as he rubbed the site where he stabbed himself. There was no scar or blood anywhere on his abdomen.

Chuck shook his head as he picked up the knife.

He explained, "This knife is designed to kill angels, Castiel. A call from your soul mate revived you." He gestured towards Dean.

Dean became confused. He had become rather fond of Cas, but never considered it to be anything more than friendship.

Chuck looked at the two of them and said, "Your mission is to protect each other at all costs. Castiel was meant to protect you from harm, and I'm afraid that that run-in with Crowley was only a minor skirmish in the war we have against hell."


	4. Union

"Well, what can we do to stop this?" asked Dean.

Chuck shook his head, answering, "It is of utmost importance that you two stick together and that you don't stay long in one place. I can protect you until you finish school, but from then on, you two will have to travel the world together."

Dean nodded. A life on the road with Cas would not be so bad.

Chuck added, "One more thing, happy eighteenth birthday, Dean."

Dean looked at his phone. It indeed was his eighteenth birthday. This realization gave him an idea.

"It looks like we're stuck together forever, huh Cas?" joked Dean.

Cas nodded slowly, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

Dean continued, "Why don't we make it official and get hitched? What do you think of that, Chuck?"

Chuck nodded and responded, "I'm God, I'm here, and you're meant to be, so why not?"

Dean looked at Cas and said, "I will do whatever it takes to protect you and keep you from harm, and I'm guessing you will too."

Cas nodded.

Chuck finalized the marriage, sealing the bond between his son and Dean. He smiled sadly as Cas and Dean made their way to the impala.

In the car, Dean said, "It's only a few months till graduation, so as soon as that's over, we hightail it across the country, stopping along the way. What do you say?"

Cas replied, "Yeah, but what about Sam?"

Dean answered, "Sammy will come with us, and we'll make sure he goes to school until your dad's protection wears off at spots along the way."

Cas nodded, "I like that idea."

The two boys held hands as the car pulled away and sped off into the night.

In hell, Crowley was fuming. Another disgraceful loss against God was in the books.

He sat upon his throne gnashing his teeth, plotting his next move. Something had to be enough that stupid Chuck could not counter it.

One of his underlings came and genuflected at his feet, looking troubled as he tried to tell Crowley why he was in the throne room unannounced.

Crowley grunted, "Spit it out."

The demon snarled, "Dean and Cas are wed, and Chuck made it official."

Crowley looked for something to throw in his rage. With this bond being recognized by practically every being in the universe, there wouldn't be much to break the bond, except if he killed one of them.

He looked down at the demon and commanded, "Follow them, and end them."

The demon nodded and left promptly.


End file.
